Ron Siegel to take charge of Mina kitchen

Updated 12:30 pm, Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Chef Ron Siegel (left), with sous chef Andre Villahermosa at Parallel 37, says he and Michael Mina want the same thing - the best restaurant.

Chef Ron Siegel (left), with sous chef Andre Villahermosa at Parallel 37, says he and Michael Mina want the same thing - the best restaurant.

Photo: John Storey

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Magnolia's Dave McLean aims for a winter Dogpatch debut.

Magnolia's Dave McLean aims for a winter Dogpatch debut.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, SFC

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Chef Nancy Oakes talks with Chef Ron Siegel in the kitchen during the "Tribute to Thomas Keller" dinner at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event in Pebble Beach, Calif. is seen on Friday April 13h, 2012.

Chef Nancy Oakes talks with Chef Ron Siegel in the kitchen during the "Tribute to Thomas Keller" dinner at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event in Pebble Beach, Calif. is seen on Friday April 13h, 2012.

Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

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Magnolia Pub brewmaster Dave McLean tapping into his keg of Poor Richard's Ale with a couple pounds of a mallet.
Poor Richard's Ale was produced at 99 pubs in the U.S. to commemorate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday. McLean has made the type of beer he thought Franklin would drink in the 18th century (using corn and molasses) and will first serve it on Jan. 17.
Photographed by Liz Hafalia on 1/17/06 in San Francisco, California. SFC less

BEER19_005_LH.JPG
Magnolia Pub brewmaster Dave McLean tapping into his keg of Poor Richard's Ale with a couple pounds of a mallet.
Poor Richard's Ale was produced at 99 pubs in the U.S. to commemorate Ben ... more

Photo: Liz Hafalia, SFC

Ron Siegel to take charge of Mina kitchen

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Ron Siegelis taking his talents to the Financial District, joining with another Bay Area renowned chef, Michael Mina.

Siegel will be the new chef at Mina's eponymous downtown flagship (252 California St.). After spending eight years at the Ritz-Carlton on Nob Hill, it's a homecoming of sorts.

Roughly 20 years ago, he worked under Mina at 252 California St., when the grand room was Aqua. He moved on to earn four stars from The Chronicle twice in his career, first at Aqua's sister restaurant, Charles Nob Hill, and then again at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton. In December, the Dining Room morphed into Parallel 37, with Siegel remaining at the helm.

Now, in Mina's new kitchen, Siegel hopes to earn the perfect four-star score for a third time, although he says that at the end of the day, it's not about accolades or egos but rather customer satisfaction and interesting food.

"We're both at the point in our lives when we want the restaurant to be the best it can be, at the highest level possible," Siegel says. "I just want to make sure people are getting what they want."

It's a sentiment echoed by Mina, who adds that their cooking styles are similar in their global - particularly Japanese - influences. And above all, the two kitchen veterans are familiar with each other.

"I always hoped I would get to work with him again, but never thought it'd be a reality," Mina says.

No date has been set for Siegel's departure from Parallel 37, but he's slated to start at Michael Mina in September. Ritz-Carlton spokesman Steven Holtsays the hotel is appreciative of Siegel's leadership and is starting to look for a local chef to carry forward the Parallel 37 concept.

SoMa-bound: It's no secret that the Saison duo of chef Joshua Skenesand sommelier Mark Brighthave been scouring San Francisco for a new venue.

After a very close call last year in Jackson Square, the pair has inked a deal for the restaurant space on the ground floor of a recently redeveloped historic building near South Park (178 Townsend St.).

The lease is signed, but for the time being Saison is staying put at its current location at 2124 Folsom St., and Skenes and Bright are mum on any further details. Expect to hear more in November on the new place, and what it might mean for the existing location.

Napa newcomers: More action in downtown Napa, as the shiny Andaz Hotel is scheduled to open in early September.

Set in the former Avia Hotel (1450 First St.), it's Northern California's first Andaz - a.k.a. the Hyatt's upscale brand.

It will feature a bar called Mercantile Social, and the restaurant in the hotel will be helmed by chef Sarah Linkenheil. The wine list will focus on "high-end boutique wines from Napa Valley."

Oh, and the restaurant will be named Andaz Farmers Table - no apostrophe, according to hotel reps.

Brewing up something big: Ladies and gents, construction is well under way on Magnolia's Dogpatch expansion (2345 Third St.).

Owner Dave McLeanhas been working on the new brewery for more than two years, but with permit delays and whatnot, it's taken a little longer than expected to come to fruition.

The expanded digs - there will be a 30-barrel system, compared with seven at the Haight-Ashbury original, which will remain open - will allow Magnolia to increase its output. The plan is to start with draft offerings only, but McLean hopes to be able to package his beer.

The restaurant-bar attached to the brewery will have its own name, but McLean says he hasn't decided on one yet. Dennis Lee, also of Namu Gaji, will be the chef; McLean jokingly describes the menu as "nondenominational barbecue."

As for that timeline, they're behind schedule, but still hoping for a winter debut.

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